19 August 2011

Patricia Wells is one talented and enterprenurial American lady who is living her dream life in France, splitting her time between Paris and Provence. Perhaps I can go so far as to say, she is living my dream life carrying on a love affair, not with an individual (although I am sure she loves her husband), but with a region of France, a centuries-old stone farmhouse, and a cuisine. With her many books she is considered one of the foremost authorities on French cuisine and received the Chevalier de l'Ordre des Arts et des Lettres for her contributions to French culture. She has written eight cookbooks altogether, at the time of writing, full of easy yet sophisticated recipes which has her being credited with taking the mystery out of French cuisine and making it less intimidating. Julia Child paved the way but Patricia Wells perfected it.

Her groundbreaking "Food Lover’s Guide to Paris," which debuted in 1984, was hailed as “the book that broke the secret code to Paris.” For 25 years Patricia was the restaurant critic for The International Herald Tribune and is the only woman--and only foreigner--to serve as restaurant critic for a French publication, the newsweekly L’Express. Patricia is the author of 11 books including the memoir "We’ve Always Had Paris…and Provence," which she wrote with her husband Walter, the former executive editor of the Herald Tribune. In 2011, Patricia will publish two books: "Salad as a Meal" and "Simply Truffles."

Patricia and her husband Walter have lived in Paris for nearly 30 years. Together, they also run a popular cooking school At Home With Patricia Wellsin both Paris and Provence. For several weeks each year, Patricia and Walter open their 18th-century Provençal home in Vaison la Romaine to a small number of participants hungry to soak up the food, wine, and culture of the region. The five-day program includes hands-on cooking classes (using as much home-grown produce as possible), plus guided visits to markets, vineyards, shops, and local restaurants. Wouldn't we all love to go!!

Of her life in France she says, "In ways that only people who share a special passion can, we feed upon one another, understanding that we will all become equally excited and grateful for a perfectly ripe and flawlessly grape harvest, about a particularly successful truffle hunt, a second season’s crop of figs, or the beauty of an olive tree laden with a record bounty of ripe fruit. I know that we all feel equally fortunate to reap such harvests, and share mutual disappointment when the rains, excessive heat or drought, even hail, derail plans for a perfect season."

Gourmet Live brought out a list of the 50 most influential women in food...Fifty women game changers. Some are chefs, some are food writers, and some are women who are passionate about the creative process. You could certainly add or detract women from this list, but no matter what these women have all influenced us in one way or another. Being a woman and passionate about food myself I wanted to explore and join Mary on this journey and not only learn from the masters but recreate some of their dishes to better understand what has shaped and molded them into who they are today. In doing so I have learned more about myself, and have learned more than a few new recipes and techniques. Follow us on this journey while we take an in depth exploration of these women's lives and what has made them who they are.

One of my favourite well-travelled bloggers Mary of One Perfect Bite invited bloggers to travel along on a culinary journey throughout the year. For 50 weeks we will experiment with dishes from each of the 50 influential women on "the list". Whether you agree or disagree with the authors chosen fifty and their order it will be an enjoyable and creative outlet to cook from the masters. My cohorts for this adventure can be found below. If you would like to join in please contact Mary. This is an informal event and you have the flexibility to follow along when you can. She will be posting every Friday.

Patricia Wells #11

When I came upon this succulent and flavourful dish I knew I had to prepare it in my own home kitchen. Patricia says, "Inspired by London chef Alastair Little, who served me a version of this one winter evening in his London SoHo restaurant, this simple, flavourful dish can be prepared in a matter of minutes. Fish fillets are given a protective wrapping, either pancetta, ham, or bacon, that adds a touch of needed fat and also helps create a brilliant contrast of color and texture. The wrapping acts as a second skin, protecting and imparting flavor and texture to the final dish. I always keep a piece of Provençal ‘pancetta’ (peppered rolled pork sold as poitrine roulé) on hand and wrap my fish with paper-thin slices, sliced as thin as humanly possible without creating pieces of lace! The end result is a lovely blending of the land and the sea, the crunchy and the soft, a splash of red, white, and green.”

I decided to serve the cod with a classic lemon risotto from her collection... and the rest is history, a balance of lemon flavours paired well with the saltiness of the bacon.

1. Wrap the pieces of fish in ham, bacon, or pancetta. Secure with toothpicks at each end.

2. Drain the capers, rinse well, and soak in cold water for 10 minutes to remove excess salt.

3. In a large nonstick skillet, heat 2 tablespoons of oil over moderately high heat until hot but not smoking. Sear the wrapped pieces of fish for about 3 minutes on each side, or until the fish are firm to the touch and offer little resistance when pressed with the fingertip.

4. While the fish is cooking, in a small saucepan combine the drained capers, the remaining 4 tablespoons of oil, and the lemon juice. Stir to blend and warm gently over low heat.

5. Transfer the fish to 4 warmed plates, season very generously with pepper, and spoon the sauce on top and around the fish. Sprinkle with parsley.

Wine Suggestion: This dish calls for a rich, dry white wine: a Rhône Valley white, such as a Châteauneuf du Pape, or a California or Australian Chardonnay.

1. In a large saucepan, heat the stock and keep it simmering, at barely a whisper, while you prepare the risotto.

2. Stem the fresh herbs. Combine the leaves with the lemon zest and, with a large chef's knife, chop finely. Set aside.

3. In a large heavy-bottomed saucepan, combine 2 Tbs of the butter, the oil, shallots, and salt over moderate heat. Cook, stirring, until the shallots are soft and translucent, about 3 minutes. (Do not let the shallots brown.) Add the rice, and stir until the rice is well coated with the fats, glistening and semi-translucent, 1 to 2 minutes. (This step is important for good risotto: The heat and fat will help separate the grains of rice, ensuring a creamy consistency in the end.)

4. When the rice becomes shiny and partly translucent, add a ladleful of the stock. Cook, stirring constantly, until the rice has absorbed most of the stock, 1 to 2 minutes. Add another ladleful of the simmering stock, and stir regularly until all of the broth is absorbed. Adjust the heat as necessary to maintain a gentle simmer. The rice should cook slowly and should always be covered with a veil of stock. Continue adding ladlefuls of stock, stirring frequently and tasting regularly, until the rice is almost tender but firm to the bite, about 17 minutes total. The risotto should have a creamy, porridge-like consistency.

5. Remove the saucepan from the heat and stir in the remaining 2 Tbs butter, the lemon zest and herbs, lemon juice and the Parmesan. Cover and let stand off the heat for 2 minutes, to allow the flavors to blend. Taste for seasoning. Transfer to warmed shallow soup bowls, and serve immediately, passing additional cheese. Risotto waits for no one.

Serves 4 - 6

Back to the Future....

Over four years of blogging I have found many wonderful recipes to share on these pages. Some from my own kitchen, some from your creative blogs and web sites, and some from well known celebrities and chefs. I have been feeling a little nostalgic and was browsing these very pages just the other day, creeping back to the very beginning in 2006 when More Than Burnt Toast was in it's infancy and no more than "knee high to grasshopper". We all have those stellar recipes from when we first started when we were lucky enough to find one comment and have maybe one reader; in my case even before I was taking photos of the dishes I prepared. My other motivation for reconnecting with the past is to create uniform formatting on this blog and this is a fun way for me to revisit past posts.

So here are a couple of flashback recipes from the very first baby steps here at MTBT with...

You are reading this post on More Than Burnt Toast at http://morethanburnttoast.blogspot.com. Excerpts and links may be used, provided that full and clear credit is given to the author/owner of More Than Burnt Toast. All rights reserved by Valerie Harrison.

22 comments:

What a lovely dish Val. Have you ever noticed how many French dishes have shallots? Patricia Wells absolutely does live La Bonne Vie.

I took three of her cookbooks with us when we went to Provence and used them almost daily after trips to the market. We followed her suggestions for bistros and olive oil. I couldn't believe a cookbook would be a such a good travel guide, but when you go for the food, I recommend taking Patricia Wells along.Sam

Oh, to be a guest at your table! What a gorgeous meal! I was so flippant in this week's post, regarding Patricia Wells, but I must say, she is a wonderful discovery! And I DO feel like I have been under a rock, as far as she's concerned!

I'm really should be on this journey with all of you--well, participating that is. I'm thoroughly enjoying all the wonderful information and recipes. I need to figure out how to link into this sort of thing.

Thanks to Sam's comment, I realize that I need yet another cookbook (or two) because I don't have any by Patricia Wells!!

You certainly picked a wonderful recipe~ a meal I would serve for special company! Ms. Wells is a delightful person and so approachable.....she comes to the states often to do cooking demos and is still doing some classes in Paris.( They are a tad more attainable than the weekly classes in southern France.) Keep your eyes open for her whereabouts and you might be able to cook with her! Certainly worth it!The new Salad as a Meal is wonderful,check out my post on that book!

.

Discover

can we help you search...

Relax

My blog More Than Burnt Toast has been my passion for almost 9 years and has evolved with me over time as I have gained confidence in the kitchen. Follow my travels through Italy and Greece one recipe at a time, upcoming cooking classes at local Okanagan wineries and restaurants, as well as daily experimentation in my own kitchen. Every day we should be excited about what we are eating even if it just means making use of a wonderful find at our local farmers market. I look forward to getting to know you.